The
Greek community at Rochester Institute of Technology
is a community of fraternities and sororities that represent
various backgrounds, principles and values. RIT recognizes
that fraternities and sororities can be a valuable component
of the undergraduate experience. As their primary purpose,
fraternal organizations maintain the enhancement of
student learning through activities encouraging leadership
development, organizational management, interpersonal
and group dynamics, social development, philanthropic
spirit, career development, academic achievement, and
loyalty to the university. Demonstrating these qualities
help them to earn them the privilege of RIT's recognition.

Starting
a Greek organization involves much work and effort and
could require several years. Organizations begin as
an interest group, move to colony status, and then finally
to status as a chartered organization. The recognition
process will culminate with the organization and its
membership adopting pre-established standards in the
areas of scholarship, philanthropic and community service,
leadership, diversity, organizational management, professional
development, personal development, and new/associate
member and intake education.

Recognition
provides fraternities and sororities with certain privileges
including but not limited to: the right to use the Institute's
name; use of the Institute's mail and publication system;
use of the reservation system; use of campus facilities,
administration services, and advisor support; facility
maintenance services and recognition as a RIT organization.
RIT reserves the right to determine the policies and
practices for the members of these organizations in
order to become an organization, or remain recognized
by the Institute.

This
includes the following procedures. First, each fraternity
and sorority must fulfill its own purpose. Second, chapter
leaders must know, understand and provide reasonable
methods of communicating and enforcing compliance with
all RIT, local, state and federal policies, and laws.
Third, RIT will only consider expansion with an inter/national
fraternity or sorority at RIT; a local chapter will
not be considered. Lastly, the Greek community must
be able to effectively support each incoming chapter
which includes reviewing institute demographics.

The
fraternity and sorority expansion procedure applies
to: 1) RIT students requesting to bring an inter/national
fraternity or sorority to RIT, or, 2) inter/national
fraternity or sorority headquarters who seek recognition
at RIT. The institute operates with an assumption
of non-expansion unless a need has been determined to
change this assumption. Students and/or inter/national
organizations must contact the Office of Fraternity
and Sorority Life to determine the institutions current
status regarding when expansion will be allowed and
for which of the particular Greek Governing Councils
before initiating any expansion efforts.

The
following steps are required to ensure the organization
is in compliance with the Expansion and Recognition
procedures:

Step
One »
Students interested in

starting
a fraternity or sorority at RIT; or

interested
in re-chartering a formerly recognized fraternity
or sorority at RIT may pick up an Expansion
Packet from the Office of Fraternity and
Sorority Life.

Inter/national
organizations looking
to expand at RIT may request an Expansion Packet
to be mailed to the headquarters for review.

The
Expansion Packet includes the following
information:

Expansion/Recognition Procedures
for RIT Greek-letter organizations

Demographic information on the
Greek community

Required paperwork to be filled
out by perspective group

Step
Two»
Students and the Inter/national organization will
review the Expansion

Packet
and determine if they would like to proceed
in the process.If yes, the interested parties will
submit all paperwork and supplemental materials
to the Assistant Director of Campus Life for Fraternity
and Sorority Life. Interested students and/or inter/national
organization representatives may request a meeting
to discuss expansion process.

Step
Three» The Assistant
Director of Campus Life for Fraternity and Sorority
Life will

present
all information to the appropriate Greek Governing
Council for consideration and/or continuation in
their expansion and recognition procedures.

Please Note: The College
Panhellenic Council (CPC), Interfraternity Council
(IFC), National Association of Latino Fraternal
Organizations (NALFO), and National Pan-Hellenic
Council (NPHC) have distinctly different procedures
and requirements for expansion/recognition. Any
interested students/organization must adhere to
the council specific procedures. Each council has
the right to determine if expansion is feasible
at any given time. Despite a desire to create a
new fraternity or sorority at RIT, expansion of
the Greek community at RIT is not guaranteed. (
Procedures may be found at: greek.rit.edu .)

First
offence violations of this policy will prompt the following
action to be enacted against the fraternity/sorority:

Inability to seek recognition of fraternity/sorority
as a recognized student organization at Rochester
Institute of Technology until, at least, two calendar
years after there is clear and definite evidence that
no Rochester Institute of Technology student has been
initiated into the fraternity/sorority.

Inability to host or coordinate any
events at RIT that, are affiliated in any way, to
the fraternity/sorority.

Inability to participate as a co-sponsor
of any student event hosted at Rochester Institute
of Technology.

Without formal recognition at RIT via
one of the main Greek Governing Councils and approval
by the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs
, the fraternity/sorority is not given permission
to list RIT as a chapter/auxiliary on any materials,
including, but not limited to, websites, chapter rosters,
etc.

Voluntary
Closure

A
fraternity or sorority which was previously recognized
via one of the RIT Greek Governing Councils and approved
by the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs
and subsequently closed due to decreasing membership,
graduation of all membership, or by no fault of the
group or any of its membership shall return to full
recognition by following the RIT Recognition Procedures
with the following addendum:

All outstanding
debts to RIT and the Greek Governing Council must
be settled prior to approval of colony status.

The fraternity/sorority
must have been in good standing with the institute
and Greek Governing Council upon voluntary closure.

All Greek
Governing Policies and Procedures for Expansion and
Recognition must be adhered to at all times.

The Office
of Fraternity and Sorority Life must be contacted
by the National Director of Expansion with its intent
to return to RIT prior to any activity on campus.